


Promethium

by zorac



Series: Chemistry [4]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Canon Disabled Character, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 06:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12551404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: With Victoria and Max having rescued Kate from her ill-fated Vortex club attendance, certain villains have had to regroup and search for a fresh victim. They have, however, reckoned without the enquiring minds their actions will awaken. Continues the series of stories that began withOxygen, set in the alternate timeline.





	Promethium

**Author's Note:**

> You'll want to read _Oxygen_ before this, the rest of the series is optional, although there's a reference to some stuff from the framing story in _[Hydrogen](/works/12226908)_.

###### Kate

Mornings are my favorite part of the day. I’ve always been an early riser, and I love the quiet time before anyone else is awake. It also means that I have the showers to myself; the other girls in the dorm are rather less prudish than I am, and on occasion their lack of modesty – or lack of respect for _my_ modesty – has made me uncomfortable. And so, even though it was the weekend, it was around seven in the morning when I grabbed my towel and wash bag, and emerged onto the corridor.

I wasn’t expecting to see anyone at all, and certainly not an unconscious figure sprawled haphazardly on the floor. I dropped my things and hurried over to her. Kneeling beside her, I immediately recognized who it was. “Dana?” Gently, I shook her shoulder. “Dana?” I said more loudly.

She moaned, and turned to squint at me through crusted eyes. “Kate? Where am I?”

“On the floor outside your room. What happened to you?”

“I… I… I went to the Vortex Club party.” Ah. That would explain it. Dana’s brow furrowed. “I left early because… because I wasn’t really in the party mood, and… and… and I was feeling really drunk.” She stopped, looking puzzled. “But I only had one beer!” Then, plaintively, “I don’t feel so good.”

“Come on,” I told her encouragingly, “let’s get you into your room.” I eyed the high-heeled shoes Dana was wearing, and decided they probably weren’t a good idea in her condition; I carefully removed them before slowly helping Dana to her feet. She swayed, and I braced myself as she fell heavily against me. I heard her make a retching noise, and felt a hot wetness down my back.

“Ohhh, Kate, I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay, Dana,” I told her soothingly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pushing open the door to her room. I helped her inside and over to the bed, quickly pulling back the covers before helping her lie down and tucking her in."

“Mmmm.” Dana smiled up at me. “I feel better already.”

“Do you think you might need to throw up again?”

“I don’t… I’m not sure.”

I fetched her bin and placed it beside the head of the bed. “I’ll put this here, just in case.” I spotted a water bottle on Dana’s desk, and handed it to her. “Here, rinse your mouth out, you’ll feel better.”

She took a mouthful, swilled for a moment, then swallowed with a grimace, before taking a couple more deep gulps. “Thanks, Kate, you’re the best.” She yawned. “I’m still really tired. Would you… would you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” I told her, reaching out to touch her cheek. “I’ll watch over you. You’re safe now.” I could see Dana visibly relax. She closed her eyes, and after a few minutes I could tell from her breathing that she was asleep. I wanted to stay there until she woke up again, to make sure that she would see a friendly face, but the smell of the vomit on my back was starting to make me nauseous. I decided to enlist some help.

It was a very baffled-looking Juliet who answered her door. “Kate?” she asked, squinting at me.

“Sorry to wake you, but something happened to Dana at the party last night, and I need your help.”

Juliet wrinkled her nose. “What’s that smell?”

“I found Dana on the floor outside her room a few minutes ago.” I twisted so that she could see the mess. "She… got my back when I was helping her up.

“Ewww. She got some in your hair too.”

I sighed. “Lovely. Anyway, she’s sleeping now, but I was hoping you would keep an eye on her while I have a shower and get some clean clothes on.”

“Of course, she’s my BFF. You totally did the right thing coming to me. Go get clean, then come tell me what happened.”

“Okay, thanks.” Juliet went across into Dana’s room, while I retrieved my towel and wash bag from where I’d dropped them, then headed to the showers. It was only as I was drying off that I realized I no longer had any clothes I could change into. Nervously, I wrapped the towel around myself and scurried back to my room, thankful that there was still no-one else around.

A few minutes later, I was properly dressed, and heading back to Dana’s room. She was still asleep, and Juliet was sat on the couch, playing with her phone. She looked up as I came in and gestured for me to sit next to her. “So, tell me everything.”

I quickly related what Dana had told me. “At first, I thought she was just drunk,” I added, “I mean, it kinda sounded like I felt after having a drink at that one party I went to.” Juliet gave me an odd look, but didn’t interrupt. “But she didn’t seem to think so, and that doesn’t really add up anyway. Did you see her leave?”

Juliet shook her head. “No, but I don’t remember seeing her beyond… maybe the first half hour after we got there. Where did she go? She can’t have come straight back here, I’d have seen her when I came home. That leaves us maybe four or five hours between when she presumably left the party, and when everyone else was already back. Plus, if she was as confused as you describe, how did she even manage to get into the building?”

“What do you think happened, then?”

“I think… from the sounds of it… I think somebody drugged her, abducted her, and then dumped her back here late last night.”

“But who would do that, and why?”

“It must have been someone who was at that party; someone else who left early. As for why…” Her face grew grim. “The most likely explanation, I’m afraid, is rape. And if I find the person who did that do my friend, I’ll rip his fucking balls off.” I was surprised by Juliet’s outburst, but if what she said was true, I don’t think I’d try and stop her; I might even be tempted to cheer her on.

“So, what do we do now?”

“We wait for Dana to wake up, see if she remembers anything else. Then we try and figure out who else might have left the party early; Victoria’s probably the best bet for information on that, and I’m not going to risk her wrath by waking her. Then… we see where we are.”

“Victoria and I are sort-of-friends now,” I said hesitantly. “I’m willing to endure her anger if it’ll help Dana.”

Juliet gave me an appraising look. “You’re a braver woman than I. Kudos. I’ll stay here with Dana, let me know what you find out.”

A few moments later, I was nervously knocking on Victoria’s door; the bravado I’d shown in front of Juliet seemed to have evaporated. There were some muffled grumbling noises from inside, it nothing more, so I knocked again. This time, the noises were louder, and eventually the door opened a crack.

“This better be fucking…” came Victoria’s furious voice. It immediately softened as she confusedly asked, “Kate?” She opened the door further, and I couldn’t help noticing that her hastily-tied silk robe barely reached the top of her thighs and showed off a generous amount of cleavage. It was funny how I’d never noticed how attractive she is before. Realizing that I was staring, I tore my eyes away, putting that thought aside to deal with later.

“Sorry to wake you, but something happened to Dana last night, and we need your help.” There was a loud thump from inside the room, and a moment later my eyes widened as Max appeared, wrapped in a sheet.

“Is Dana okay?” asked Max, concerned; then, slightly embarrassed, “er… hi, Kate.”

“We’re not really sure. I found her outside her room earlier this morning; she did wake up for a little while, long enough to tell me a little of what happened – and to throw up on me when I helped her up.” Victoria shuddered at that. “I put her to bed and she went straight back to sleep; Juliet’s with her now. Dana said that she only had one beer, and then left the party early because she wasn’t feeling well; she didn’t seem to remember anything after that. Juliet thinks that someone drugged and abducted her.” I decided not to share her theory as to why.

Max nodded slowly. “That would be the most obvious explanation.”

I addressed Victoria. “We were hoping that you might remember who else left early.”

She looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure; I was circulating most of the evening, but I don’t remember seeing Dana after the first half hour or so, so that tracks. I’m not sure if anyone else… wait.” She paled. “Nathan was there when we opened, and when we closed up, but I don’t recall seeing much of him in-between.”

“If it was him, could he have brought her back to the dorms?” I asked, “Not here; I didn’t hear anyone coming in before I went to bed at around half ten. Maybe the boys’ dorm?”

“There’s one way to check,” said Max, turning and disappearing back into Victoria’s room – but not before giving me a nice view of most of her back and the top of her butt. I flushed.

“Were you just checking out my girlfriend?” asked Victoria. “And don’t think I didn’t catch you staring when I first opened the door.”

“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I told her, which wasn’t _entirely_ untrue.

“Hmmm…” Thankfully she let the matter drop, instead listening as Max made a phone call.

“Hi, Warren… yes, I do know what ungodly hour it is. We need your help… yes. Something happened at the party last night… uh-huh. I just need to know if anyone came back to the boys’ dorm early… say, between eight and nine… mmm-hmm… uh-huh… okay, thanks, Warren… sure… okay bye.”

Max poked her head around the corner. “Warren’s pretty sure that no-one came back to the boys’ dorm before around eleven.”

“Thanks, you guys,” I told them.

“Look,” said Victoria, “give us a minute to get dressed, and we’ll meet you in Dana’s room. If someone hurt her, than I want to help you catch them, even if… even if it _is_ Nathan.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Victoria.”

“Oh, and… please don’t say anything to Juliet about Maxine being in here. That girl spreads gossip faster than Facebook.”

“No problem. I’ll just say I bumped into her and filled her in.”

“Good plan,” said Max as she appeared, zipping up her hoodie. She pulled Victoria into a big, dramatic kiss. “See you in a couple of minutes, sweetie,” she said, then closed the door on her rather bemused looking girlfriend. Then, to me, “not a word.”

“I wasn’t going to…”

Max snorted. “Sorry, forgot who I was talking to.” She bumped shoulders with me. “Thanks, Kate.”

We went into Dana’s room, and Juliet gave me a look. “I ran into another concerned citizen,” I explained. “Victoria will be here in a mo.”

“I see she didn’t bite your head off. Congrats! Did she have any intel?”

“Yes. Nathan Prescott was missing for most of the party.”

Juliet gave a low whistle. “Well, I wouldn’t put it past him. Certainly he seems to have plenty of access to drugs, and he can be a little… unstable.” She looked thoughtful. “Still, I’m kinda surprised Victoria didn’t protect him; those two are pretty tight.”

“And I will,” said Victoria, closing the door behind her, “if I think he’s innocent. I won’t see him railroaded for a crime he didn’t commit. But, if he did do what I know you’re thinking he did, then I’ll throw him under the bus myself.”

The silence that followed was broken by a quiet voice from the bed. “Kate?”

I hurried over. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” said Dana, sitting up and turning her lamp on. “Whoa.”

“Er… surprise!” said Juliet.

Dana looked back at me. “I see you put the Scooby Gang together while I was asleep. Let’s see, we have Katie the Vampire Slayer, Vicordelia Chase, er… Veronica Max, and… April O’Watson.”

“What about you?” asked Max.

“I’m just the poor, helpless victim of this week’s episode.”

“You are anything but helpless,” I told her.

“And you’ve got all of us here to make sure you get justice,” added Juliet.

“We’re going to find out who it was that did this to you,” Max told her.

“And no matter who they are,” concluded Victoria, “we’re going to make them pay.”

There was a long, over-dramatic pause before Dana said, “…and cut to commercials.” We all burst out laughing. “Seriously, thanks, you guys. So, what’s the plan?”

“Well,” began Juliet, “we need to figure out what happened to you, who’s responsible, and where they took you. Right now, Nathan’s our prime suspect, but do you remember anything more about last night?”

Dana sat back. “I got to the party just after it started, and grabbed a beer. I _do_ remember talking to Nathan for a couple of minutes, so it’s possible that he slipped something in my drink – but there a bunch of other people who would have had the opportunity, too. By the time I finished the bottle, I felt more like I’d had a dozen of them, so I decided I must be coming down with something and headed home. I remember leaving the party, but after that… just, flashes. I think maybe I was in some sort of car, and… this really bright white room… and then Kate waking me up out in the corridor.”

Max nodded. “We were already pretty sure you weren’t back here, and that confirms it.” Juliet shot her a puzzled look, and she explained how we knew.

“Okay,” the reporter continued, “as for what happened… Dana, I’m worried that you may have been raped.”

Dana blanched slightly. “I don’t feel sore…” She reached under the covers, and I looked away, embarrassed. “And unless someone put a fresh tampon in afterwards, I think I’m safe on that front.”

“I’m really glad to hear that,” Juliet told her, “but now we have no idea why you were taken.”

“In that case, let’s focus on _where_ ,” suggested Victoria, producing a key ring. “I happen to have the spare keys to Nathan’s truck, and I know that his GPS records everywhere he goes. If he did take Dana, then that might be our best lead.”

“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Juliet, “but I should probably get dressed first…”

“We can go check it out while you do that,” Max said. “We probably don’t want to attract attention by going down as big group. We’ll text you if we find anything.”

“Okay, that makes sense,” said Dana. “I need to have a shower, anyway.” Then, addressing Juliet and me, “why don’t you two meet me back here in, say, ten minutes.”

I went back to my room to put some shoes on, and spend a little quality time with Alice. Bunny cuddles make everything better. I was just putting her back in her cage when my phone buzzed; it was a message from Max. _Nathan went out of town last night. We have the destination. Meet us in the parking lot ASAP and Victoria will drive us over there._

I returned to Dana’s room to find her toweling off her hair, and looking much better. “I really needed that,” she told me with feeling.

“I got a text from Max; they know where Nathan went last night.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“Nothing,” said Juliet from the doorway. “C’mon, gang, let’s head down to the Mystery Machine.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see Victoria’s reaction when she finds out you called her Mercedes that…”

“Dana Ward, don’t you dare!”

Half an hour or so later, we pulled up outside an old barn. I eyed it dubiously. “This is where the GPS trail leads,” Victoria told us, “let’s take a look around.” She got out and headed straight for the main doors. “Locked,” she reported.

Max bent down to examine the ground in front of them. “Fresh tire tracks. Someone’s been here recently, alright.”

“Over here,” called Dana from the left side of the building, “I think I’ve found a way in.” Juliet helped her move aside some loose metal sheeting, and we were soon inside. It was… an empty barn, save for some long abandoned farming equipment.. “Well, this is anti-climactic,” she muttered. We spread out to snoop around.

“This is definitely a Prescott place,” called Victoria after a minute. “There are a bunch of old documents in this trunk.”

I was checking out the back wall of the barn when I found a spot on the ground that didn’t quite feel right. Brushing the straw aside, I discovered a trapdoor that looked far more modern than the rest of the barn – and was equipped with a large padlock. “Guys, I think I’ve found something.”

“Well, that’s not at all suspicious,” remarked Juliet, “but unless Victoria has some extremely large bolt cutters in the back of the Mystery Machine, we’re not getting through that any time soon.”

“Wait, what did you call my car?” asked Victoria, outraged.

“Er…”

“Hold on ladies,” said Max, “I’ve got an idea.” The plan involved her and Dana climbing up some frankly dangerous-looking scaffolding, a rope with vicious hooks on it that looked like something out of a horror movie, and dropping a heavy object from a great height. It certainly succeeded in ripping open the trapdoor, though, revealing a concrete staircase leading below the barn. “This shit just got real. Who wants to go first?”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” said Victoria, “we’re not in some slasher movie.” She descended the stairs and called up, “it’s just an empty hallway, with a serious-looking door at the end.” We all trooped down after her. “Electronic keypad lock,” she added. “I don’t think Maxine is going to be able to MacGyver _this_ one open.”

“Allow me,” said Juliet, stepping forward to examine the lock. “Hmm, only a three-digit code.” She pulled a make-up box out of her bag and blew some powder onto the keypad. It pretty obviously stuck to three of the numbers. “Okay, that just leaves us with six possible permutations. I guess I’ll just try them at random.” She got it right on the third try, opened the door, and lead us inside. “Wait, I almost forgot,” she said, pulling something else out of her bag. “Put these on before you touch anything.” She handed us each a pair of latex gloves. “We don’t want to mess up any evidence.”

I started looking over some shelves; they were stacked with food and other stores. It looked like some sort of survivalist bunker. “Duct tape. Always a bad sign in a bunker,” reported Max, echoing my thoughts.

“Uh, guys, I think this is the place,” called Juliet from behind some plastic sheeting on the far side of the room. “Dana… you might not want to come in here.”

“No, I need to see this for myself,” she replied, pushing through with the rest of us behind her. This second, larger room was a cross between a photography studio and a man cave. At the far end, bright lights played off a spotless white backdrop. There was also a leather couch, computer desk, drafting table, and a massive printer.

“Dana? You okay?” I asked her.

It was a moment before she answered. “Yeah, just had some serious déjà vu. I might not remember it very clearly, but I’ve definitely been here before. There’s got to be some sort of evidence, right? Something that even Prescott’s corrupt cops can’t wave away or overlook.”

“I hope so, Dana, I really do.”

Max and Victoria were checking out all the high-end photography gear, and Juliet was sat at the computer. Suddenly, she froze. “Oh, shit.”

“What is it?” asked Dana, hurrying over to her.

“Dana, no…” began Juliet, but too late. Dana had seen whatever was on the screen.

“What the fuck? Is that… me? Is this what Nathan was doing?” I reached them, and saw she was scrolling through a series of photographs. Each featured a vacant-eyed Dana, bound with duct tape, and either lying on the floor or propped up in some way. “Seriously, if he was this desperate to have me model for him, he could have just asked.”

“I’m not entirely convinced this _is_ Nathan’s work,” interjected Victoria, “I mean, stylistically, yes, but the technique… I think this is the work of someone else.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” began Max,

Not wanting to get embroiled in the debate I could feel brewing, I turned away to study the cupboards behind the desk. The first one I opened contained neat rows of ring binders. The second-to-last caught my eye because it was sticking out, as if someone had hastily pushed it in. Dana’s name was on the spine. I pulled the binder out, and opened it. Inside were proofs of the photos I’d seen on the computer, along with a couple of shots from the party, and even one of Dana lying on our dorm corridor floor. I suddenly had a bad feeling about what was in all those other binders – each had a woman’s name on it.

Dana’s binder dropped from nerveless fingers as my eyes reached the one before it. The one labeled ‘Kate’. Almost without making a conscious decision, I reached out and took it. Inside, was a photograph of me at a party – that one Vortex Club party I stupidly went to – and I’m well on my way to the vacant eyes from the pictures of Dana.

“Wait… is that you?” Max had reached my side. “I remember that night.” I turn to the second picture, which shows her and Victoria leading me away. There’s nothing else in the binder.

“He… he was going to bring me here, wasn’t he?”

“It sure looks that way,” agreed Max.

I pulled her into a fierce hug. “You saved me!” Then, seeing Victoria, I hugged her too, “Thank-you, both of you.”

“Uh, Victoria,” said Dana, who was now looking through the binders with Juliet, “I think you’re the next target.” She pulled out the last, empty folder, holding it so we could see the name on the spine.

Victoria’s eyes were icy. “Nathan, and whoever he’s working with, are going down. There’s no way even Prescott’s pocket cops can overlook this.”

“There’s more,” said Juliet, producing another folder, with the name ‘Rachel’ on it. She opened it, and set it on the desk.

“That’s Rachel Amber!” exclaimed Dana.

“And look at the timestamp.” Juliet pointed at it. “That’s the day she disappeared.” She leafed through the pictures, stopping the last one. It showed not just Rachel, but Nathan too; they were sprawled together on the bare earth somewhere.

Eventually, Max voiced what we were all thinking. “Is it just me, or does she look more than just drugged in this shot. Her face is really pale…”

“That’s it, I’m calling the cops,” announced Victoria. She pulled out her phone, then headed back outside, grumbling about the lack of signal, with Max trailing after her.

“I don’t think we should touch anything else,” said Juliet, “even with the gloves. Not if this is going to turn into a murder investigation. In fact, we should probably _all_ wait outside.” Not knowing what else to do, Dana and I followed her back up stairs, and out into the sunshine.

It didn’t take long for the police to arrive. Soon they had the barn and its bunker cordoned off, and we were headed ‘down town’ for a series of interviews. It was well into the afternoon by the time they finally let me go. They’d split us up, so I had no idea where the other girls were. Not wanting to hang around the police station, I decided to head over to the Price house, which was only a few minutes’ walk away.

It was William who answered that door. “Why, hello there, fair maiden! How are you on this fine day?”

“Could you ask me an easier one?”

He blinked. “Are you okay, Kate?”

“Yeah, but I nearly wasn’t; and I’m the lucky one. Is the lady of the house taking visitors?”

“Why don’t you go through and find out,” he suggested kindly.

Chloe answered immediately when I knock on her door. She was at her computer when I went in, but turned her chair around with a smile to greet me. “Hey, Kate, this is a pleasant surprise.” She must have seen something in my expression because she quickly continued, “what happened?”

“You remember I told you about stupidly going to that Vortex Club party and Victoria, of all people, having to rescue me?”

“Yes…”

“I’m sure now that I was drugged, and that I was if it hadn’t been for her and Max, I would have been abducted too.”

“What? Fuck! Who would do that to _you_?”

“Nathan Prescott.”

“Of course, that little piece of shit. How did you find out?”

“Because last night he did it to Dana.”

“Oh my God. Is she okay? Did he hurt her; did he…”, she trailed off, but I knew what she was asking.

“Dana’s okay now, and we don’t think they assaulted her. I found her on the floor this morning, but she seems to be recovering.” I went on to explain, telling her about our Scooby gang, finding the bunker. “There’s one more thing,” I added. “Do you remember Rachel Amber?”

“Yeah, I do. I mean, we were never really friends or anything, but we had some of the same classes. We even studied together a few times, before my accident. She was wicked smart, _and_ the queen of Blackwell back then. She disappeared a few months back, didn’t she?”

“Yes. I never really got to know her; all I can say is that she didn’t bully me like the rest of the popular girls did.” I took a deep breath. “We found pictures of her, too – dated the day she vanished. From the looks of it… I think Nathan killed her.”

“God, that’s… awful. She was so full of life. She said she was gonna be a star someday, and she had a way of making you believe it.” Not knowing what to say, I merely nodded in reply an awkward silence stretched out between us, until Chloe finally broke it by asking, “so, do you have any happier news?”

I considered for a moment. Victoria had asked me to keep it from Juliet, but I didn’t _think_ shed mind me telling Chloe. I decided to fill her in on a small detail I’d left out of my story. “When Victoria answered the door this morning, she was only wearing a skimpy silk robe.” I couldn’t help remembering, and Chloe raised an eyebrow at whatever look she saw on my face. “And then Max showed up behind her, wrapped in a sheet.”

Chloe’s other eyebrow shot up. “Wait… do you think they…?”

“I’m trying not to,” I told her. “Besides, I’m more distressed that I seem to be developing minor crushes on a couple of my friends.”

“Wait… I thought we established that you’re ace?”

I’d been doing some research on that. “Yes, but there’s a whole asexual spectrum, and I’ve not quite figured out where I fit on it yet. Just because I have no interest in… in sex, doesn’t mean I don’t feel attraction. And, apparently, that part applies to women as well as men, which is kinda freaking me out a little.”

“Oh, right, your church isn’t so big on people who aren’t straight.”

I nodded. “My mother in particular, but it’s something _I’ve_ always been fairly liberal about, especially since getting to know Max and Victoria. It’s just… a little bit harder to apply that to myself.” My phone buzzed; it was a text from Max. I quickly replied, letting her know where I was. “We’re going to have company in a few minutes,” I told Chloe.

“Then I’m going to share a little secret with you before they get here: I have a huge crush on Max and Victoria too. And… I’ve kissed both of them.”

I blinked at her, quickly pushing down the slight hint of jealousy I feel rising. “When did that happen?”

“The first time Max brought Victoria to meet me. I was teasing them about how I was going to live vicariously through them, how I was actually enjoying watching them make out, and then… things escalated. It’s happened a few more times since then, too.”

“I’m happy for you,” I told her, and I meant it, too. Then, hesitantly, “you are happy about it, right?”

Chloe smiled back at me. “Yeah. I did go through a patch of doubt – perhaps they were just pity kisses, yanno? But, I can’t really see Victoria Chase doing that. Max, maybe, but even then she’d have an attack of crippling guilt afterwards and ’fess up.” I nodded at her; that sounded like a fair assessment of our two friends. “So, yes, I’m choosing to believe that it’s something real, even if I’m not yet sure what.” The doorbell rang, and Chloe quickly added, “please don’t say anything to them. I’d rather they didn’t know that I told you.”

“Of course, Chloe, whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Thanks, Kate.” A few moments later, there was a knock at the door, and we were joined by our two friends.

“Hey, Chloe,” said a subdued Max, “I presume Kate has told you all about our morning.”

“Yeah. Do you know how Dana’s doing?”

“A couple of the cops took her and Juliet back to the school, so I’m sure she’s in good hands. We’ll check in on her when we get back there, too.”

“So, any more news? Did the police find Nathan? Is there anyone else involved?”

“They caught Nathan, alright,” said Victoria, grimly, “and I’m sorry to say that it looks like I was right about there being a more skilled photographer involved: just as we were leaving, they brought in Mark Jefferson. He was in handcuffs, so I think it was more than just ‘helping the police with their enquiries’.”

“Wait… your photography teacher?” asked Chloe. I nodded absently; somehow it didn’t particularly surprise me, I’d always thought there was something a little bit creepy about him.

“Yup, the reason I came back to Arcadia Bay.” Max gave a rueful laugh. “What a complete idiot I was; there are three infinitely better reasons sitting right in this room.”

She was right. Somehow, over the past few weeks, they’d become the best friends I’ve ever had; Max, Chloe… even Victoria. Already, I couldn’t imagine life without the three of them. Then I remembered Rachel Amber, and the fleeting nature of existence. I looked past Max and Victoria’s animated dialogue to where Chloe’s eyes were locked on me, a sad smile on her face. It was like she could see what I was thinking. Then, she gave me a big wink, and I snapped out of it.

“So, Kate,” she said loudly, “you’ve given me all the news, but is there any _gossip_ I should know about.”

Max and Victoria fell silent; I looked at them, and then back to Chloe, knowing exactly what she wanted me to do. “Well,” I drawled, “it’s funny you should mention that…”

“But there’s no gossip at all, right Maxine?” interjected Victoria.

“Nope, none whatsoever. Definitely no gossip here…”

I smiled at their increasingly ridiculous denials. They were just so _cute_! Oh, yeah, I’m in trouble…

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story came when I was replying to one of the comments on _Hydrogen_ ; it's been the most easily the writing's flowed since I wrote the first half of _[Bug](/works/10582167)_.


End file.
